International Migration

International migration consists of immigration (the movement of citizens of other countries to the United States) and the movement of American citizens to and from the country. Estimates of international migration have been produced annually since 2011 as part of the annual estimates of the population produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.

International migration data are presented on Arizona Indicators since 2011 for Arizona and the 15 Arizona counties. State and national population estimates are reported in December. County data are released in March.

International migration is estimated. Figures are available for U.S. military personnel leaving and returning to the country but the international movement of other U.S. citizens is estimated. While counts of legal immigrants are available, entry to the United States frequently occurs prior to the year in which the immigrant is included in the statistics. Estimates of the number of undocumented immigrants are crude.

Visualization Notes:

International migration consists of immigration (both legal and undocumented) and the movement of U.S. citizens to and from the country. The latter is particularly affected by the transfer of military personnel. Annual estimates of international migration are relatively consistent from year to year. Small gains have been experienced in each of the last three years in Arizona and Maricopa County.

Visualization Notes:

Net international migration generally is small and consistent from year to year in Arizona’s less populous counties. However, the figures are larger and more variable in Cochise and Yuma counties, each of which experiences substantial movement of military personnel.